Manfrotto MLH1HS-2 Cold Shoe Tilt Head

I'm a fan of Manfrotto products, having owned dozens of them over the years. Recently, I've been cutting down the weight of my location equipment, and this meant replacing heavy light stands with Manfrotto's "Carbon Nanopole" stands, as well as moving away from bulky and heavy umbrella adapters towards these cold show tilt heads.

They are indeed a lot lighter than professional studio umbrella adapters, though built much better than the cheaper alternatives out there. More importantly, the ergonomics are great.

The umbrella hole is angled, as I had hoped, allowing you to aim your flash beam towards the centre of the umbrella. The flash can be mounted from either side, and unfortunately it would be easy to use it incorrectly with an umbrella. Just remember to have the umbrella tightening screw to the left when mounting your flash.

The "bottle top" mechanism to secure your flash is cleverly designed. I had previously thought it moved up to cover the shoe, but in fact, it gradually squeezes the receivers together for a snug fit. Though not quite "quick release", it's quick and easy, yet very effective. An elegant solution in my opinion.

I've been using these for a few days now and my older, fully metal studio adapters feel quite old fashioned now. Recommended, whether you work on location or in the studio.